Advancing Neighborhood Sustainability

Category: Cal Anderson Park

Cal Anderson Park is pesticide-free! Barb DeCaro from Seattle Parks and Recreation delivered that surprise piece of good news during a tour of the park Tuesday with representatives from the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict, Seattle Audubon, Earthcorps, SalmonSafe, and the Cal Anderson Park Alliance.

Capitol Hill EcoDistrict staff and allies have been seeking more information about glyphosate use in Seattle Parks and were gearing up for a fight to get pesticides out of Cal Anderson Park and spark a conversation about getting glyphosates out of all Seattle Parks.

And then we found out on Tuesday that we are lucky among neighborhoods in Seattle. According to DeCaro, Cal Anderson Park doesn’t get sprayed with pesticides as part of an agreement with Seattle Public Utilities to protect the water quality of Lincoln Reservoir that lies below the northern half of the park.

But what is going on in other nearby parks, including Volunteer Park? Are we and our pets protected from exposure to a probable carcinogen?

According to the Times article, the answer is no. Glyphosate was sprayed in Volunteer Park as recently as 2016, as well as Alder Creek Park, Washington Park, Thomas C. Wales Park, and many others.

“In 2016, Parks and Recreation conducted 732 pesticide treatments in parks that were either developed or in active restoration. More than 60 percent of these applications included glyphosate,” according to the Times. The heaviest use of pesticides is on Seattle’s golf courses.

And glyphosate is probably in other green spaces nearby. Megan Dunn, from the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides, was in town for Tuesday’s tour. She pointed out that even if glyphosates are not in Cal Anderson Park, they are definitely used heavily in nearby private yards and public rights of way. Dunn points to the growing evidence against glyphosate use on both public and private land, but the substance is still widely used. And it is finding its way into our bodies.

“This chemical is in our food, water, air, and has been found in breast milk and urine. The manufacturing, distribution and sale of glyphosate is a multi-billion-dollar industry,” Dunn writes on the NCAP blog.

In the meantime, RoundUp continues to fly off the shelves of local home improvement stores and Seattle Parks has expressed no intent to stop applying glyphosate in many neighborhood parks. If you don’t want yourselves or your pets exposed, come over to Cal Anderson Park!

Grab some coffee and a pastry, then hit the ATM on Sunday morning. You’ll want cash in your pocket and perhaps a map (download here or pick one up in the Park) for all the garage and yard sales happening in Cal Anderson Park and across the neighborhood.

It’s time again for the Capitol Hill Garage Sale and this year it’s going to be huge with more than 100 registered sellers! About half will be selling items in Cal Anderson Park and another 50+ will be laying out their wares on lawns, by sidewalks, and in front of their homes. We suggest you start in the Park where a DJ will be spinning AND the Capitol Hill Tool Library will have a booth.

Oh yeah, you’ll also want to bring your dull knives. The Tool Library will be where you can get your dull knives and tools sharpened for FREE. There also will be folks in the tents with info on how to support Cal Anderson Park, get engaged with fellow renter activists, and join the work of the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict to make our neighborhood safer, greener and more equitable.

When you’re done popping tags, you’ll probably be hungry again. Head from the Garage Sale to the Capitol Hill Farmers Market. If you haven’t been to the Market in a while, it’s peak season for peaches, nectarines, melons, tomatoes, peppers, and all that the summer has to offer! While you’re there, make sure to say ‘hi’ to Leah Litwak, the new manager of the Market. She’s a great addition to the community and eager to meet neighbors.

The “8th ANNUAL CAPITOL HILL GARAGE SALE DAY” will take place on Sunday, August 27th, starting at 10:00 a.m. throughout the heart of Capitol Hill and in Cal Anderson Park. Individuals without a garage or front yard can sign up for table space in Cal Anderson park. A $10 donation to the Cal Anderson Park Alliance secures a spot. For more information or a map, go to capitolhillgaragesale.com. Printed maps will also be available on August 27th at the information table in Cal Anderson Park. Follow along on social media: #NoGarageNoProblem2017 or become a fan on Facebook: @CalAndersonPark.